SYDNEY, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Removing excessive sea urchins from Port Phillip Bay, near Melbourne, could unlock over 92 million Australian dollars in ecosystem benefits by revitalizing the bay's rapidly declining kelp forests, new research said on Monday.
Kelp forests are crucial for marine life and water quality, but booming sea urchin populations now threaten their survival, according to a release from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) which led the research.
This is the first study to quantify the return on investment for sea urchin culling and kelp restoration in the bay, estimating that a 50 million Australian dollars investment could yield up to 92 million Australian dollars in benefits through improved water quality, fishing, and carbon storage, the release said.
"Managing the bay's sea urchin population is a practical step we can take to ensure the health of Port Phillip Bay, which is crucial to local ecosystems, tourism and food security," said the study's lead author Paul Carnell of RMIT's Center for Nature Positive Solutions.
Although climate change and human activity play a role in kelp decline, controlling sea urchin populations offers a practical and effective solution, Carnell said.
The proposed investment would fund commercial divers to remove sea urchins and support kelp cultivation and deployment, creating jobs in the process, said the study published in Ecosystem Services.
The study involved several Australian universities and was funded by Victoria's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. (1 Australian dollar equals 0.65 U.S. dollars) ■
